Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/404

 376 DICK SANDS, THE BOY CAPTAIN. " We are proud to welcome your majesty at the market of Kazonndé/' Alvez was sayîng. -. " Get me brandy," was ail the drunken kîng's rcply., " Will it pleasc your majesty to take part in the business of the lakoui ? " Alvez tricd to ask. Alvez continued, — after his long absence." " Drink ! " roared the monarch again. " Will the king take pombé or mead ? " asked Alvez, at last obliged to take notice of the dcmand. " Brandy ! give me fire-water ! " yelled the king, in a fury. " For evcry drop you shall hâve " "A drop of a white man's blood !" suggcstcd Negoro, glancing at Alvez. " Ycs, ycs ; kill a white man," asscnted Moené Loonga, his ferocious instincts ail arouscd by the proposition. my agent. Hc must be punishcd for his act." " Send him to King Masongo ! " cricd the king ; ** Ma- songo and the Assuas will eut him up and eat him alive." Only too true it is that cannibalism is still openly practised in certain provinces of Central Africa. Living- stone records that the Manyucmas not only eat men killed in war, but cvcn buy shucs for that purpose ; it is said to be the avowal of thèse Manyuemas that ** human flesh is slightly sait, and requircs no seasoning." Camcron relates lîow in the dominions of Moené Booga dead bodies were soaked for a fcw days in running water as a préparation for their bcing dcvoured ; and Stanley found traces of a widely- spread cannibalism amongst the inhabitants of Ukusu. But however horrible might be the manner of death proposed by Moené Loonga, it did not at ail suit Negoro*s purpose to let Dick Sands out of his clutches. '• The white man is hère," he said to the king ; " it is hère he has committed his ofience, and hère he should be punished." "If you will," replied Moené Loonga; "only I must
 * Drink ! " blurted out the king impatiently,
 * ' My friend Negoro hère is anxîous to grcct your majest}'
 * There is a white man hère," said Alvez, " who has killed